


Language: Barriers and Broken

by iwantcandy2



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, Japanese, Language Barrier, Social Isolation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-06
Updated: 2014-05-06
Packaged: 2018-01-23 18:07:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1574753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwantcandy2/pseuds/iwantcandy2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kankri is making an attempt to understand Damara. But there is more to understanding her than a difference in diction.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Language: Barriers and Broken

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gfjhtgftuyfjyvh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gfjhtgftuyfjyvh/gifts).



> For the prompt:  
> Damara Megido/Kankri Vantas  
> Summary:  
> I really like the head canon that kankri would attempt to learn Japanese to be able to talk to Damara, and she'd put up with his lectures cause he cared enough to learn a language for her. So maybe something with that?
> 
> Note that things in between > are supposed to be translated Japanese.

“Ohayou gozaimusu, Damara-san,” Kankri greeted, rolling the words off his tongue with great care. “Ogenki desu ka?”

Damara smiled. Like all of her smiles, it wasn’t completely devoid of cruelty, but this smile was only as cold as summer rain, compared to the artic of her normal sneers. She liked the small troll trying to speak Japanese. It was nice to see him struggle with his words, when normally he was so sure of the stream pouring from his lips.

“Watashi wa sannichi de sekkusu o motte inakatta. Anata wa watashi o tasukeru koto ga dekiru?”

He quirked an eyebrow, searching his vocabulary for words she was sure he has not learned. Damara chuckled at his plight.

“Damara-san…tasukeru…hitsyo…desu? Boku was…tanoshi? No, that’s not the right word. What is happy, again? Ureshi, was it? Boku wa ureshi tasukete o Damara-san. Is that right? Confound it, no, that isn’t it. Um, let me try again…”

Damara laughed, a sound as full as church bells. She had no idea why the fool would bother learning her language. She understood common Beforan just fine. Speaking it not so much, but she knows what the others say. What they say about her. There’s a reason she never bothered to improve her diction. Who would she talk to?

But here is Kankri, trying to talk to her. And doing so very badly.

<<You speak with the eloquence of a crow squawking>> Damara mocked. <<Have you let your silver tongue tarnish?>>

Kankri paused for a second, thinking very hard.

“What does karasu mean again? I’m sure I know that one.”

He looked so earnest, hanging on to her every word in an attempt to glean the meaning.

_If only he knew what I really said. He wouldn’t try talking to me then. He’d go away, just like everyone else._

<<Keep trying, Kankri. Maybe you will master this language by the end of eternity.>>

Kankri smiled, obviously only understanding _ganbatte_.

“I feel like I’m getting the hang of this. It’s not fair that you don’t have a voice in our community, Damara. I’m going to change that.”

Damara resisted the urge to snort in disdain. The fool thought language was the only barrier existing between her and the others. As if they hadn’t built other walls to keep her out. As if she would deign to climb them.

“It won’t be long now,” Kankri assured, taking her hand in his. “Soon, we will be able to have a real conversation. I’ll listen to every word you say.” 

He turned around and scurried off, no doubt going to pour over more Japanese dictionaries. 

Damara watched him go.

<<Watashi wa sonohi o tanoshiminishiteimasu, Kankri-kun.>>

_I look forward to that day._

**Author's Note:**

> Damara is a really fun character to write. And I had fun writing Kankri's broken Japanese, which is just more or less my own helter-skelter knowledge of the language.
> 
> If you leave kudos and check out my other works, me love you long time.


End file.
